Association of Plasma Aβ40 Peptides, But Not Aβ42, with Coronary Artery Disease and Diabetes Mellitus

Background/objective Plasma levels of amyloid-beta (Aβ) 1-40 peptide have been proposed to be associated with cardiovascular mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association of plasma Aβ levels with CAD, cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF), and APOE genotype in non-demented elderly individuals. Methods Plasma Aβ1 - 40 and Aβ1 - 42 levels of 526 individuals (mean age of 63.0±7.3 years) were quantified with the INNO-BIA plasma Aβ forms assay based on multiplextrademark technique. APOE genotype was determined with an established protocol. Presence of CAD and CVRFs were ascertained using a questionnaire and/or medical records. Results Plasma Aβ1 - 40 levels were significantly higher in individuals with CAD (p = 0.043) and, independently, in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 (p = 0.001) while accounting for age- and gender-effects. Plasma Aβ1 - 42 levels were higher in APOEɛ4 carriers (p = 0.004), but were neither relevantly associated with CAD nor with any CVRF. Plasma Aβ1 - 40 showed no association with APOE genotype. Discussion Our findings argue for an association of circulating plasma Aβ1 - 40 peptides with incident CAD and DM. Further investigations are needed to entangle the role of Aβ1 - 40 role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease independent of its known role in Alzheimer's disease.